E.H. SCHILLING LANDFILL

EPA ID# OHD980509947
Last Updated: May, 2014

Site Description

The E. H. Schilling Landfill, located in Hamilton Township, Lawrence County, Ohio, is a three-acre site that operated as a waste disposal facility from 1969 to 1980. During the operation, it accepted a wide variety of liquid and solid hazardous industrial and non-hazardous wastes including styrene, phenol, acetone, alcohol, wastewater treatment sludges, coal tar compounds and foam material. The waste material was deposited behind an earthen dam and under a soil cover. The depth of the waste material is approximately 45 feet. The landfill was closed by the State of Ohio in 1980 due to numerous permit violations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the site for the National Priorities List (NPL) in December 1982 and finalized the site on the NPL in September 1983.

In March 1987, an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) was signed between EPA, the Ohio EPA, and two potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to investigate the site contamination. The investigation showed that the landfill was leaking volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), semi-VOCs and metals into the surrounding soil, sediment and groundwater. The earthen dam did not meet acceptable safety standards and the soil cover over the waste material did not prevent infiltration of rainwater into the waste material.

EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) in September 1989 that required the following actions: removing the liquid waste from within the landfill and treating the liquids in an onsite treatment plant; preventing water infiltration by capping the landfill and installing a grout curtain/slurry wall; improving the structural stability of the earthen dam; and treating contaminated groundwater near the landfill. Contaminated groundwater has not migrated offsite. The site is located in a rural area and approximately 2,000 people live within three miles of the site with some individuals on private wells.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through federal, state, and PRPs' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Nickel had been detected in air sampled near the landfill at levels exceeding federal standards. Arsenic and VOCs have been found in groundwater. Leachate, soil, and stream sediments were found to be contaminated with VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. These threats are being addressed as described below.

Cleanup Progress

In May 1991, a Consent Decree (CD) was signed between EPA and four PRPs to conduct the design and construction of the remedy. Construction of the site remedy was completed in August 1993. A total of 3,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment was excavated and consolidated under the landfill cap. Approximately 8 million gallons of liquids from within the landfill and groundwater have been treated in the on-site treatment plant. Treatment consists of metals removal, biological reactors for the VOCs and semi-VOCs, and carbon adsorption as a final step for VOCs. Liquid levels within the landfill have decreased dramatically due to the pumping, landfill cap and grout curtain/slurry wall, but still remain at unacceptable levels. It has been estimated that the treatment plant may be able to cease operation at some point; the potential for this is being monitored. The treatment plant discharge has met all Ohio substantive effluent limitations and is in compliance.

EPA completed five-year reviews for the site in September 1997, September 2002, and July 2007, all of which found the remedy to be protective of human health and the environment. EPA completed the fourth five-year review on July 11, 2012, and again found the site remedy to be protective of human health and the environment. The PRPs are currently implementing the recommendations outlined in the 2012 five-year review report and are continuing operation and maintenance activities at the site, and conducted air monitoring at the site in May 2013.